*Cassidy was endorsed by [[Louisiana House of Representatives|state Rep.]] and former challenger [[Paul Hollis]], who ended his campaign in July 2014.<ref>[http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/212856-cassidy-nabs-backing-of-former-conservative-challenger ''The Hill'', "Cassidy nabs backing of former conservative rival in La. Senate race," accessed July 22, 2014]</ref>

+

*Cassidy received support from the [[National Republican Senatorial Committee]].<ref>[http://www.myarklamiss.com/story/d/story/political-minute-june-12-2014/34950/BTZM7h41u0qSJws8MTCbRg ''KTEV'', "Political Minute June 12, 2014," accessed June 16, 2014]</ref>

*Cassidy received support from the [[National Republican Senatorial Committee]].<ref>[http://www.myarklamiss.com/story/d/story/political-minute-june-12-2014/34950/BTZM7h41u0qSJws8MTCbRg ''KTEV'', "Political Minute June 12, 2014," accessed June 16, 2014]</ref>

The election will fill the Senate seat currently held by Mary Landrieu (D). Landrieu was first elected in 1996.

Candidate Filing Deadline

General Election

Runoff Election

August 22, 2014

November 4, 2014

December 6, 2014

Primary: Louisiana is one of three states to use a blanket primary, or top-two system, which allows all candidates to run and all voters to vote but only moves the top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, to the general election. In Louisiana, the runoff general election on December 6, 2014, is only required if no candidate receives 50 percent or more of the primary vote. If the runoff election is not needed, the race is decided with the one election (acting as both the primary and the general election) on November 4, 2014.[3][4][5]

Incumbent: The election will fill the Senate seat currently held by Mary Landrieu (D). Landrieu was first elected in 1996.

Candidates

Note: Prior to the signature filing deadline, candidates will be added when Ballotpedia writers come across declared candidates. If you see a name of a candidate who is missing, please email us and we will add that name. As the election draws closer, more information will be added to this page.

Washington Post top 10 races

According to an analysis by The Washington Post, the U.S. Senate election in Louisiana was considered one of the top 10 Senate races of 2014. Sen. Landrieu has to run while facing the fallout from Obamacare. However, as of late 2013, the GOP was struggling to find a strong candidate.[23]

Race background

According to an April 2013 report, Democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu raised $1.2 million in the first quarter of 2013, and had $3.5 million cash on hand.[24] However, potential challenger Rep. Bill Cassidy (R) was not far behind, with $2 million in the bank at the end of the first quarter.[22] That far outpaces other possible opponents. In reports from July 2013 Landrieu reported raising $1.7 million during the second quarter and had $4.9 million cash-on-hand.[25]

Landrieu has never won more than 52 percent of the vote in her three previous Senate victories.[22] A hypothetical Republican majority in 2015 would require winning this seat.[22]

Louisiana Gov.Bobby Jindal said on July 8, 2013, that he has no plans to run against incumbent Mary Landrieu in 2014, despite frequent speculation about his interest.[21] The Republicangovernor flatly rejected the idea that he wanted to return to Congress, saying when asked about the race, "Absolutely not, emphatically no."[21] He went on to repeat his disinterest several more times, seeking to squelch a rumor that just seems unable to disappear in Louisiana's political circles.[21] "There is no caveat, no wiggle room. I'm not trying to give myself any outs. I have absolutely no interest in running for the United States Senate. I'm not a candidate for the United States Senate. I will not be a candidate for the United States Senate. You can film that. You can write that down. Absolutely not," Jindal repeated when asked about the rumor.[21]

Louisiana GOP statewide tour

In an effort to unseat Mary Landrieu in the 2014 election, the LouisianaRepublican Party announced that it is planning a statewide 100-city tour, to the Roots, set to begin in August 2013.[29] "We recognize that we have quite a challenge next year in defeating SenatorLandrieu, and it's going to take all hands on deck," said GOP Executive Director Jason Dore. Dore went on to add that the goal of the tour is to determine potential supporters and activists, establish precinct captains and lay the groundwork for 2014.[29] "Identify workers that will go out and encourage their friends and their community to go out and support whoever the Republican candidate ends up being, and vote against Mary Landrieu as we return the Senate to Republican hands," Dore said in a statement regarding the tour.[29]

Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Key votes

Below are important votes the current incumbent cast during the 113th Congress.

Government shutdown

During the shutdown in October 2013, the Senate rejected, down party lines, every House-originated bill that stripped the budget of funding for the Affordable Care Act. A deal was reached late on October 16, 2013, just hours before the debt ceiling deadline. The bill to reopen the government, H.R. 2775, lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[30] The final vote on H.R. 2775 was 81-18, with all 18 votes against the bill from Republican members. Mary Landrieu voted with the Democratic Party for the bill.[31]

Issues

Abortion

Following the signing of restrictive abortion rights legislation by Gov.Bobby Jindal on June 12, 2014, the contrast between Landrieu and Cassidy became a central issue in the election, as the state tends to lean rightward on the issue of abortion.[32]

Landrieu's position

“Nothing on this subject is easy to explain. I have kind of a different record than most. I’ve voted against late-term abortion, I voted for access in the … pre-viability [period],” she said. “Although I personally believe that life begins at conception, I believe the last place the government needs to be is in the church, in the doctor’s office or in the bedroom. And so even people who advocate for less government intrusion, like Gov.Jindal, get themselves in the most personal decisions a family could ever make.”[32]

Landrieu passed on the opportunity to co-sponsor a bill in the Senate that would federally ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.[32]

Cassidy's position

“She has supported using U.S. taxpayer dollars for overseas abortions and most folks, even if they are pro-choice, don’t care for that,” Cassidy said, referring to a 1997 vote on lifting an abortion ban on overseas U.S. military bases.[32]

Landrieu chair position

Rhea Suh nomination

Bill Cassidy (R) sent a letter to Mary Landrieu opposing Rhea Suh's nomination to be assistant Interior secretary of fish and wildlife and parks.[35]

In their letter, Cassidy, along with Charles Boustany, Steve Scalise, John Fleming and Vance McAllister wrote, “Ms. Suh has spent the past four years at a high level in the Department advocating against natural gas production and implementing policies such as the ill-directed moratorium in the Gulf that displaced thousands of Louisiana workers.”

David Vitter voted against Suh's nomination in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and reiterated his opposition on February 11, 2014.[35]

Obamacare

Vanishing healthcare plans

Mary Landrieu (D) spoke in favor of a proposal for legislation on October 29, 2013, that would ensure that all Americans could keep their existing insurance coverage under Obamacare.[37] In her statement, she said she would either offer her own bill or formally sign onto another measure that would ensure that the law would not force anyone off of their existing health policies.[37]

“The promise was made, and it should be kept. And it was our understanding when we voted for that bill that people when they have insurance could keep with what they had. So I’m going to be working on that fix,” Landrieu said.[37]

Delay in Obamacare mandate

On October 24, 2013, Mary Landrieu (D) endorsed a proposal to give Americans more time to sign up for benefits under the new Affordable Care Act. The enrollment deadline to sign up for coverage in the first year of the health law's exchanges was March 31, 2014.[38]

"I've always been committed to making the Affordable Care Act work and will continue doing so," Landrieu said in a statement. "I support extending the enrollment period to give people who haven't had access or who want more choice enough time to shop from the 40 competitively priced plans in Louisiana's marketplace. The administration should consider this common -ense suggestion."[38]

The videos featured repeated clips of President Obama ensuring that Americans could keep their existing healthcare plans under the Affordable Care Act, along with news reports declaring that claim to be wrong and revealing the White House was aware that insurers would cancel some plans. The ads also feature clips of each senator at the end echoing the claim that Americans can keep their insurance under the health care law.[39]

Americans for Prosperity

Targeting Landrieu in 2014

Reports in November 2013 circulated that Charles and David Koch, billionaire conservative activists, planned to run advertisements through one of their political groups, Americans for Prosperity, attacking Landrieu for her support of the Affordable Care Act.[40]

The ad twice plays a clip of Landrieu saying of Obamacare, “If I had to vote for the bill again, I would vote for it tomorrow.”[41]

"Tell Sen. Landrieu we deserve better than Obamacare...Who gets stuck with the bill? Families and small businesses,” that ad says of Obamacare.[41]

Tim Phillips, the president of Americans for Prosperity, said, “Both ads are unique, but the goal is the same: we want to make sure to hold both of these senators accountable over the long term for their votes that first passed Obamacare into law and now have upheld that law repeatedly. I’ve said a number of times before that repealing Obamacare is a long-term effort...These ads, both on network [TV] and cable, along with social media and grassroots, is a continuation of what we believe is going to be a long-term effort required to eventually repeal Obamacare.”[41]

RNC robocalls

The Republican National Committee conducted robocalls about Mary Landrieu and the federal government shutdown on October 14, 2013, targeting those who lived near Landrieu's home and her local offices across the state.[42]

In the recording, the group attempted to blame Landrieu and other Democrats for putting veterans benefits in jeopardy during the federal government shutdown.[42]

"These men and women served our country with honor and yet Sen. Landrieu would rather put partisan politics ahead of honoring our commitment to the people who defended this country," said a female voice identified as Erin during the robocall.[42]

Media

AFP

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) released an ad, “Mailbox,” on February 12, 2014, that hit Landrieu on Obamacare.[43] The ad showed people reading insurance cancellation notices under the healthcare law. The $750,000 ad buy brought the total spent by AFP in Louisiana, to around $2.6 million between October 2013 and February 2014.[43] During the same period of time, AFP spent approximately $27 million on “Obamacare accountability efforts” nationwide.[43]

Senate Majority PAC

The ad, "Problem," criticized Cassidy for his votes to raise the retirement age, as well as his votes to shut down the government.[45]

The group released another ad in March 2014, "Agenda." The ad "attacked the Koch Brothers agenda to buy the Louisiana Senate race and impose an anti-Louisiana agenda on the people of the state."[40][46]

A narrator in the ad said, “Out-of-state billionaires… spending millions to rig the system and elect Bill Cassidy. Their goal: another politician bought and paid for. Their agenda: Protect tax cuts for companies that ship our jobs overseas. Cut Social Security and end Medicare as we know it. They even tried to kill relief for hurricane victims. Cassidy’s billion-dollar backers. They’ve got a plan for him. And it’s not good for Louisiana.”[40]

As part of a $3 million offensive effort against the billionaire Koch brothers in early 2014, the group released "Loses" on March 26, 2014.[47]

The ad alleged that the brothers, David and Charles Koch, backed opposition to a fix to the flood insurance program.[47]

Bill Cassidy

The ad showed Cassidy, a physician, in his doctor's coat, with a stethoscope around his neck and a dog-eared copy of the federal health law in his hand. He said most members of Congress who voted for President Barack Obama's health overhaul didn't read the bill before passing it.[48]

"It affects your job, your pocketbook, your life. And they didn't read it. I read the bill. It was clear there'd be canceled plans, expensive premiums, no guarantee that you could keep your doctor. I voted no," Cassidy said in the ad.[48]

Mary Landrieu

Mary Landrieu's January 2014 ad, "Keeping the Promise."

Mary Landrieu's April 2014 ad, "Will Not Rest."

Incumbent Mary Landrieu released her first ad of the campaign on December 11, 2013. In the ad, she attempted to distance herself from the healthcare overhaul and Obama's Affordable Care Act by emphasizing her bill that would allow individual health care plan holders to keep their insurance under the new guidelines.[49][50]

“Thousands of Louisianians and millions of Americans that carried individual policies will now have an opportunity to keep those health care plans. The President made a promise, and Sen. Landrieu is working to make sure it is kept and will continue her legislative efforts to fix and improve the Affordable Care Act,” Landrieu campaign manager Adam Sullivan said in a statement.[50]

In February 2014, Landrieu said she would find it valuable for Thomas Steyer to run ads in her re-election campaign. "It would probably help me in my state if he would run his ads," she said.[51]

In March 2014, Landrieu reserved nearly $2 million in time between April 21 and June 29 for 30-second TV commercials and an additional $645,000 from April 14 to May 25 for 60-second spots.[52]

Landrieu released another ad in April 2014, "Will Not Rest," that emphasized her efforts on behalf of the oil and gas industry.[53][54]

The video showed Louisiana residents at home, in a restaurant and at their job watching clips from television news accounts of Landrieu as she fought against the moratorium on deep-water oil and gas drilling after the 2010 BP oil spill and for sharing federal off-shore royalty revenue with Louisiana and other producing states.[55]

Landrieu said in the television clips, "300,000 people that go to work every day in this industry. You just can't go beat up on them" and "We produce the oil and gas that's the message we told to the president."[55]

The ad was criticized by some conservative groups for using re-enactments of statements that Landrieu made in an Energy Committee hearing in 2013.[56]

Landrieu's campaign manager Adam Sullivan said the campaign recreated the scene because Senate Ethics Rules prohibit the use of footage from any government camera in political ads.[57]

NRSC

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) used a classic video game and the season premiere of “Duck Dynasty” to target Sen.Mary Landrieu in the NRSC campaign arm’s first televised ad of the midterm election cycle in August 2013.[58][59][60]

The ad utilized Nintendo’s “Duck Hunt” game, familiar to children of the 1980s.[58] Titled “Misfire,” the NRSC’s spot says Landrieu has “bad aim” when it comes to issues such as “health care, energy, taxes and jobs.”[58]

The spot aired in New Orleans during the first episode of the Louisiana-based A&E reality show, as well as the following week’s episode.[58]

“Throughout August, the NRSC is connecting directly with folks from Alaska to North Carolina, reminding them that Democrats have turned their backs on women, families and workers by embracing President Obama’s job stifling agenda,” NRSC spokeswoman Brook Hougesen said in a statement.[58]

Landrieu's campaign was quick to respond to the NRSC attack.[61] "This ad is a total quack. It is a desperate, misleading attempt by the NRSC, which hopes it will help them duck the fact that Mary Landrieu has spent her entire time in the Senate fighting and winning for Louisiana," Adam Sullivan, Landrieu's campaign director said in an email.[61] "It was her bill, GOMESA, that opened up 8.3 million acres in the Gulf for domestic drilling, established revenue sharing for Louisiana to restore its coast and created good-paying energy jobs. And, unlike others in this race, Sen.Landrieu voted last January to provide permanent tax relief to Louisiana's middle class families."[61]

Roger Villere, head of the state Republican Party, noted that such an early endorsement was an “extraordinary move” for the group.[64]

“It is an extraordinary move for our state party to endorse a candidate. But because of who he is and what he’s done, Bill has the support of an overwhelming majority of our state central committee,” he said.[64]

"In recent weeks, Bill Cassidy has proven something to me and fellow conservatives," Seabaugh said. "He stood with those of us who care about the future of this country by not giving in to President Obama and the liberal big spenders in Congress. This particular stand was important to me, as a conservative."[18]

Rob Maness

"In the Louisiana Senate race we have the opportunity to send a true conservative and a real warrior to join that fight. So, today I am lending my support to retired Col. Rob Maness for U.S. Senate. Having spent his career in uniform, he does not have deep pockets or lobbyist connections to fund his campaign. To me, it's a blessing, not a curse that he's not held office before. After all, our founders weren't politicians - many of them in fact were military leaders. Maybe it's time we got back to those roots," Palin said.[68]

"Colonel Rob Maness is a constitutional conservative with a remarkable record of service to our country," Senate Conservatives Fund Executive Director Matt Hoskins said in a statement. "He understands the value of our freedoms and will fight to repeal Obamacare and stop the massive spending, bailouts, and debt that are bankrupting our country."[70][71]

According to reports from January 2014, incumbent Mary Landrieu outraised her opponents in the Senate race, bringing in nearly $1.4 million in the previous fundraising quarter, from October, November and December 2013.[93] Landrieu’s campaign announced on January 8, 2014, that Landrieu had nearly $6.4 million in her campaign account.[93][94]

On January 7, 2014, Bill Cassidy (R) announced that he raised $1 million for the same quarter, and had nearly $4.2 million cash on hand.[93]

Second quarter

In the second quarter of 2013, encompassing April, May and June, Landrieu raised $1.67 million, compared with $1.2 million in the first quarter.[95] She had a total $4.86 million cash on hand at the end of the second quarter. She continued to lead her Republican challenger U.S. Rep.Bill Cassidy in the money game at the end of the second quarter, but while Landrieu reported more than a $1.6 million edge, Cassidy's fundraising trajectory spiked in the second quarter, more than doubling his previous numbers.[95] Cassidy raised $1.1 million in the second quarter for a total of $3.2 million as of July 2013.[95] However, the $1.1 million raised by Cassidy was a 220 percent increase over his first quarter's numbers, which came in at just over $500,000. Landrieu's increase in the second quarter of 2013 over her previous quarter's numbers was just under 140 percent.[95]

First quarter

According to first quarter campaign finance reports from April 2013, Sen.Mary Landrieu (D) had already raised $1.2 million and had $3.5 million cash-on-hand.[96]